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BOSTON—Three medical doctors, four mechanical engineers, two healthcare management professionals, and a neuroscientist are the 2012 recipients of the Robert S. Kaplan Life Sciences Fellowship at Harvard Business School. All are entering first-year students in the School's MBA program.

Established in 2008 to encourage students with life sciences backgrounds and career interests to attend Harvard Business School, the Kaplan Fellowships enable HBS to award $20,000 each to ten incoming MBA students who meet these criteria. Credentials may include academic achievements, recognition from outside organizations, and professional accomplishments. Preferences are given to students who are planning careers in science-related businesses or organizations. Awards are for only the first year of the Harvard MBA Program and do not affect the recipient's eligibility for the School's need–based fellowships.

These awards were created through the generosity of Robert S. Kaplan, a member of the Harvard MBA Class of 1983 and former vice chairman of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., where he now serves as a senior director. He is currently a Professor of Management Practice and Senior Associate Dean for External Relations at HBS.

The Kaplan Fellowship Program reflects Harvard Business School's continuing commitment to trying to solve the array of problems facing the healthcare sector. In 2005, for example, HBS launched the Healthcare Initiative, a multidisciplinary program that brings together the extensive research, thought leadership, and interest in the business and management of healthcare that are now key parts of the School's agenda.

"We look forward to welcoming this group of very accomplished individuals who have already contributed a great deal to the fields of healthcare and life sciences," said HBS Dean Nitin Nohria. "We thank Rob Kaplan for his generous contribution to these students who will go on to make further improvements in the lives of people around the world."

The 2012 Kaplan Fellows are:

Shannon Bergstedt, who spent the past four years with CardioDX, a Palo Alto-based cardiovascular genomic diagnostics company. She served in several roles there, most recently as associate product manager where she designed and managed a retrospective claims analysis project. She graduated with a bachelor of arts in human biology and a master's in sociology, both from Stanford University.

Brittany Birrell Carroll, who worked most recently as a commercialization specialist for Algeta US, LLC, a leader in alpha-pharmaceuticals. Previously she spent five years at Health Advances, LLC, a healthcare strategy firm. Her most recent position was as an associate, where she served as a project manager for an array of clients covering the pharmaceutical, medical device, life science, and diagnostic industries. She graduated from Cornell University with a bachelor of arts in biology.

Arjun Goyal, who most recently founded Foresight Pharmaceuticals, a biotech start-up focused on commercializing academic research. He was also a clinical trainee in the Oncology Department at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney, Australia, where he received the Gates Cambridge Scholarship to study at the University of Cambridge. Prior to this he co-founded Yabbipharm, a medical device start-up that developed an injection skills kit. He received his medical degree from the University of Melbourne and recently received a master of philosophy in bioscience enterprise from Cambridge University.

Doruk Kurt, who was most recently employed as an e-marketing manager at Roche Turkey, a developer of drugs and diagnostic tools. Prior to this she was the product manager for Actmera, a drug used to treat rheumatoid arthritis. She has a degree in industrial engineering from Koc University in Istanbul, Turkey.

Paul (Puo-Yuan) Lu, who most recently served as co-founder and president of The BALSA Group, a nonprofit consulting organization from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis that assists local biopharma firms. He also recently worked with two investment firms, FinServe Tech Angels and Skandalaris Student Venture Fund. He graduated with a bachelor of science in biological sciences and chemistry and Ph.D. in neuroscience from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Michael Poku, who has been a consultant with IPX Intellectual Property Management Company, Sanderling Healthcare, LLC, and Moore Landry, LLP. He is involved with the nonprofits Street Works HIV/AIDS Services Organization and the Nashville Ryan White Part A Planning Council, where he ensures that funding is adequately allocated to support individuals living with HIV/AIDS. He holds a bachelor of arts in chemistry and psychology from Vanderbilt University and is expected to graduate from the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine with a Doctor of Medicine degree in May 2013.

Daniel Ramey, who has spent the last five years working with Johnson & Johnson, where he completed the Johnson & Johnson Global Operations Leadership Development (GOLD) Program. His most recent position was as an operations engineer for the Advanced Sterilization Products Division. He graduated with a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.

Brandon Scanlon, who has spent the last eight years with Stryker Corporation, a medical technology company. His most recent position was business development portfolio manager, where he evaluated medical devices for acquisition. He has a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering from Kettering University.

Noam Weizman who was most recently chief resident in the Head and Neck Surgery Department of the Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center in Israel. Prior to this, he spent time in the Israel Defense Forces. He holds a bachelor of medical sciences degree and a graduate medical degree from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Medical School.

Barry Nathan Wohl, who comes to HBS from Medtronic CRDM, where he was a senior clinical research specialist for the Cardiac Rhythm Disease Management business unit. Previously he was an R&D Engineer for the Cardiovascular business unit. He has a bachelor of science in biomedical engineering from Columbia University and a master's in mechanical engineering from Stanford University.

About the HBS Healthcare Initiative:
The HBS Healthcare Initiative (HCI) serves as a gateway for healthcare research, educational programs, and collaboration. Priority is placed on applying the best principles of performance management and innovation to this complex industry. HCI engages with faculty, students, alumni, Executive Education participants, and many other parts of the University, including Harvard Medical School. Through this powerful alliance of key stakeholders, HBS aims to educate leaders who will make an immediate and lasting impact on the healthcare industry. For more information about related activities at Harvard Business School, please visit the Healthcare Initiative website.

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About Harvard Business School

Founded in 1908 as part of Harvard University, Harvard Business School is located on a 40-acre campus in Boston. Its faculty of more than 200 offers full-time programs leading to the MBA and doctoral degrees, as well as more than 70 open enrollment Executive Education programs and 55 custom programs, and Harvard Business School Online, the School’s digital learning platform. For more than a century, HBS faculty have drawn on their research, their experience in working with organizations worldwide, and their passion for teaching to educate leaders who make a difference in the world, shaping the practice of business and entrepreneurship around the globe.